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THE STORY OF 
ST. PHILIPS' CHURCH 

NEW YORK CITY 

A DISCOURSE 

Delivered in the New Church, West Twenty-fifth St., 
at its Opening, Sunday Morning, 
February 17, 1889 

By the Rev. B. F. De COSTA, D.D. " 



NEW YORK 

PRINTED FOR THE PARISH 
1889 



Tho bequest cf 
Daniel Murray, 
Washington, D, G. 



PREFACE. 



THIS sketch takes us back to a period when 
New York was not the New York of to-day. 
As late as 1825, the total population of the 
city was only 166,086. Of this number, 12,575 
were colored people. Of the latter only sixty 
persons were taxed, while only sixteen were 
qualified to vote. At this period, also, slavery 
still existed in New York, not being completely 
abolished until 1827. Fifty years ago only 
nine churches from this city were represented 
in the Diocesan Convention. 

About the time the colored Episcopalians 
began to assemble in a distinct congregation, 
there were probably not a dozen colored house- 
holders in the whole city. But to-day how great 
is the change. Surely no people have greater 
cause for gratitude, even when temporal bless- 
ings are considered, than this class of the in- 
habitants of New York. The so-called " solid 
men" are to be found not alone in St. Philips' 
congregation but in all the religious benevolent 



4 



PREFACE. 



societies supported by the colored people of 
New York. 

It is to be regretted that the disappearance 
of the early records of St. Philips* Church 
leaves us with so little knowledge of the de- 
tails of the parish history of that period. The 
absence of the records has driven us to such 
sources of information as are laid open in the 
Diocesan journals and the public newspapers, 
from which the writer, with much expense 
of time and labor, has gathered the greater 
portion of the facts that antedate the death 
of that most excellent and venerated man, 
the Reverend Peter Williams. 

But, notwithstanding the absence of the 
early Church Records, and the fragmentary 
character of the material at command, it was 
thought inadvisable to allow the semi-cen- 
tennial of St. Philips' Church to pass without 
at least so much as the present recognition. 
We are also taught the necessity of securing 
and placing in a permanent form some account 
of the work in former days, by the fact that 
the sources of information are daily becoming 
more rare, and that the old men of St. Philips' 
Church, upon whose recollections we depend, 
are fast passing away. 

This brief sketch will also serve to remind 



PREFACE. 



5 



the people of the goodness of God in the past, 
and add another illustration of their ancient 
motto — 

" Hitherto hath the Lord Helped 
Us." 

B. F. D. 

Stuyvesant Park, New York, 1868. 

This Preface was prepared at the date indi- 
cated for a sketch of the Fiftieth Anniversary 
of the parish history, and it is now allowed 
to remain. 

March 1, 1889. 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



ST. PHILIPS , CHURCH, 

SUNDAY A. M., FEB., 17, 1889. 



Exodus iii. 12. And he said, Certainly I will be with 
thee ; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent 
thee : When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, 
ye shall serve God upon this mountain. 

WHEN Mahomet undertook to found his 
religion, he went forth furnished with a Bible, 
or Book, now called the Koran. When the 
God of Abraham, the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, began to raise up a people, he issued no 
book. A Book we indeed have now, but it 
was given, not at the beginning, but at the 
end. Four thousand years passed before he 
gave the full Book. This illustrates the differ- 
ence between the ways of man and the ways 
of God. Mahomet comes to us with his hands 
full of so-called proof, but God comes demand- 
ing our faith. The false prophet gives his de- 

7 



8 



ST. philips' church. 



monstration now, but God tells us to wait and 
receive it hereafter. Hence, when God met 
Moses amid the solitudes of Horeb, called him 
to go down into Egypt and lead out his people, 
he gave him no Book, no Bible, no dazzling 
commission. For his personal encouragement 
he gave him only one assurance, and a singular 
assurance. It was the assurance of the text, 
which promised that, years hence, when he 
had been to Egypt, and had done the work, 
he should have a certain experience, saying, 
When you have obeyed and have brought out 
the people you shall serve God upon this moun- 
tain, amid whose solemn peaks and crags I have 
found you. 

Lord, surely the people will not believe! 
Yes, Moses knew the people well. They were 
a stubborn, churlish people. But Moses him- 
self had no doubts. It is not the great minds 
that doubt. It is rather the mark of greatness 
to believe. The men who have done great 
things in all ages have been the men of faith : 
Alexander, St. Paul, Caesar, Isaac Newton, 
Henry Martyn, Napoleon, Francis Xavier, 
Franklin, Luther, Washington, Savonarola — 
all men of sublime faith. It was on account of 
the small-minded people with whom Moses 
would have to deal that God gave miraculous 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



9 



powers to the Shepherd's rod. For himself the 
future Lawgiver took, not the miraculous rod, 
but the divine promise. By faith he refused to 
be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter ; by 
faith he became God's ambassador, ready to 
serve in the present, and find the proof of the 
fact that Jehovah had been with him in the 
years to come, when he should be able, with 
the ransomed people, to serve God in the 
mountain out of which he had originally been 
sent. 

This method is not human, but divine. Only 
God can deal with man on this high plane, for 
God alone, who knows all from beginning to 
end, dares to offer this sublime challenge of 
man's faith ; God alone can afford to delay 
the proof, summoning man to act, and yet to 
wait for the demonstration during long years 
of labor and toil ; God alone can confidently 
point to the hereafter. But, with Moses, that 
" hereafter" came, and, on the very mountain 
where God had met and called him, he stood 
once more with a worshipping people, and there 
he received the two tables of stone. The 
promise was fulfilled, and now he knew that 
he had truly been called of God. 

My brethren of St. Philips', can you not this 
morning discover some resemblance between 



10 



ST. philips' church. 



your experience and that of Moses ? Can you 
not find a substantial portion of your parochial 
history in the text ? Can you not find the 
proof in to-day's experience of the fact that it 
was God who called you to his work in the 
upbuilding of this parish ? You and your 
fathers went out in faith from the fold wherein, 
as we shall see, this congregation was originally 
nurtured. You went into your Egypt on the 
mission to your neglected brethren. God sent 
you, appointed you. He gave you no splendid 
proofs of the reality of your mission, but you 
have the proof to-day, after these long years, 
in that you find yourselves, with the people led 
out, here in this beautiful and commodious 
sanctuary, worshipping God, as it were, upon 
the mountain. Accept, then, the situation of 
this morning as a token of divine guidance in 
the past. 

Twenty-one years ago the speaker stood in 
the old church in Mulberry Street, and de- 
livered the semi-centennial discourse of St. 
Philips'. For twenty-one years he has been a 
close observer of the progress of this parish, 
often mingling with the people and entering 
into both their joys and sorrows. It therefore 
affords him a degree of satisfaction that he 
can hardly express to stand here this morn- 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



I I 



ing, privileged to recite, on your behalf, 
something of the long history of this peo- 
ple, adding, it may be, a word of counsel, 
perhaps allowable on the part of one who 
has known you so many years, and who no 
longer, with consistent reason, can claim to be 
young. 

First, let us address ourselves to the story of 
the parish, which has passed the three-score 
years and ten, and is going on to four-score. 
In telling the story, however, it will be need- 
ful, for the lack of time, to omit much of the 
material prepared, and which, on account of 
the loss of parish records, it has been neces- 
sary to glean largely from sources outside the 
parish, and notably from old newspapers and 
Diocesan journals. 

Whoever may have considered the subject 
attentively cannot fail to have discovered that 
St. Philips' Church is fully entitled to take 
rank as one of the historic churches of New 
York. In an important sense the story of St. 
Philips runs for a long way parallel with the 
history of ancient Trinity Church. 

We find that from the surrender of New 
Amsterdam by the Dutch to the English, in 
in 1664, the services of the Church of England 
were regularly maintained, and in 1697 the 



12 



ST. PHILIPS' CHURCH. 



parish of Trinity Church was organized. 
Throughout that period, no doubt, the people 
now represented by this parish were recog- 
nized in connection with the church services. 
When, however, in 1702, the Venerable Soci- 
ety for the Propagation of the Gospel was 
organized, special provision was made for 
them, and Catechists were employed to attend 
to their spiritual needs. Usually the Catechist 
was the Assistant Minister of Trinity parish, 
but for a long time, during the administration 
of the first rector, the Rev. William Vesey, 
the Catechist was Mr. Elias Neau, a Hugue- 
not, who was described by Mr. Vesey as a 
" glorious professor" of the Reformed Faith. 
The name of Elias Neau is ever to be remem- 
bered with respect and gratitude by all people 
of African descent, both for his devotion to 
his charge and for his high moral courage, 
which led him to stand forth, without regard 
to fear or favor, as a purist and a defender of 
morals; doing this at a time when vice per- 
vaded nearly all classes of society, and for the 
most part went unrebuked. The people of his 
charge were carefully trained by him in the 
principles of virtue and religion, often being 
convened at his own house, where they were 
received as men and brethren. The student 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



13 



of that period can but mark the care that was 
bestowed upon the religious training of these 
people ; for when the cruel and insane perse- 
cution sprang up against the African race in 
the colonial times, a broad distinction was 
made between those attached to Trinity 
Church and those who had not enjoyed their 
religious advantages. 

Their special instruction, as a part of Trin- 
ity parish, went steadily on until the outbreak 
of the Revolution, many notable examples of 
praiseworthy Christian character appearing 
from time to time. During the Revolution 
the history of the wards of Trinity was va- 
ried, like that of the parish itself, everything 
being shattered by the seven years' war. When 
hostilities ceased the Venerable Society had 
ended its operation in the American Colonies, 
and the work of training was carried on, un- 
aided, by the clergy of Trinity Parish. On 
entering the present century we find distinct 
notice taken of those whom we may truly 
regard as being, in an important sense, found- 
ers of the work subsequently recognized when 
the parish of St. Philips' became a legal cor- 
poration. For instance, in 1805 we see Trinity 
Church buying a burial-ground for this portion 
of the people of the] parish, it being stipulated 



14 



ST. philips' church. 



that, in the event of the formation of a distinct 
organization, the rights in the burial-ground 
should be transferred to the new parish. 

The exact date of the beginning of special 
services in the post-revolutionary period can- 
not now, perhaps, be determined. It is prob- 
able, however, that the Rector, the Rev. Dr. 
Provoost, began to care for the people at once. 
At all events, it seems to be clear that, prior to 
1810, they used to assemble on Sunday after- 
noons in Trinity Church, even as in the Colo- 
nial times. Eventually the attendance became 
so large as to render it advisable to secure a 
separate place, where the services could be held 
without interruption, and where a lay reader 
might be employed, to the general improve- 
ment of the congregation. Accordingly, a 
room was secured in the building in Williams 
Street, occupied by the colored public school.* 
It is said that the person placed in charge of 
this service was a Mr. McCombs,f who died in 

* Probably established by the society organized in 1805 to 
promote free education. 

f The late Rev. John Peterson, assistant minister of St. 
Philips' parish, thought that the name of this person was 
Thomas, though it was probably John, as he is said to have 
died in 1812, while the New York directory shows that John 
McCombs, deputy jailer, who appeared in the directory in 
1809-10-11 disappeared in 1812.] 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



*5 



1812. Subsequently the congregation removed 
to a room over a carpenter's shop in Cliff Street, 
between Ferry (now Peck's Slip) and Beekman 
Streets. This room was furnished with only 
such furniture as was absolutely needed, being 
lighted up by candles fixed in square blocks. 
For the account of those services we are in- 
debted to the late venerated and beloved As- 
sistant Minister of this parish, whose memory 
carried him back to the year 18 12, when he 
was accustomed to meet with the people there, 
under the direction of a lay reader, who after- 
wards became the first minister and rector of 
St. Philips, the Rev. Peter Williams, of blessed 
memory. 

Mr. Peterson says that it was the practice of 
Mr. Williams to meet the children an hour 
before the time of public service, and to in- 
struct them in the catechism. For the benefit 
of those who had never enjoyed literary priv- 
ileges, it was the custom, as in many churches 
long before, and even afterwards, to line off the 
psalms and hymns, in order that all might join 
in the praise of Almighty God. It is said that 
during the life of Mr. McCombs, Mr. Williams 
was accustomed to assist him, and that he was 
one of four 'candidates for the office of lay 
reader, having been selected from the number 



i6 



ST. philips' church. 



by ballot. Evidently the choice was ordered 
by the Lord. 

In course of time it was found necessary to 
move again, and the congregation went next 
to a building in Rose Street, on the northerly 
side, near Pearl, situated on the site where, in 
1824, the Friends built a meeting-house.* 

It is worthy of notice that the special move- 
ment in support of public worship was being 
followed up at a time when the city was in a 
condition of great depression, owing to the 
uncertain relations of the United States with 
foreign powers, and that during the war of 
1812, when the commerce of New York was 
paralyzed, the work was pushed forward with 
zeal, showing that seasons of public distress 
may prove the seed-time and harvest of relig- 
ion. Nevertheless, in respect to organization, 
St. Philips' was later than some others. The 
African Methodists in this city built three 
houses of worship, in the years 1800, 1806, and 
1809, respectively. The Baptists built in 1805, 
though the Presbyterians delayed until 1820. 



* Mr. Samuel B. Haines, of the Society of Friends, writes 
that the iot where the meeting-house stood was about 100 x 200 
feet, and that, with the opening of South Williams, Duane, 
and Chambers Streets, the site became a part of the high- 
way, or " was obliterated. " 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



17 



The people who eventually founded St. Philips' 
were of a different stamp, showing a superior 
respect for ecclesiastical order and authority. 
Besides they always enjoyed the hospitality 
of Trinity parish, which circumstance alone 
would tend to delay the formation of a separate 
congregation until they could proceed with the 
full approval of all concerned ; nor did they 
move to organize until they had obtained a 
solid standing and were prepared to organize 
on a genuine ecclesiastical basis . promising 
continuance for all time. Hence they remained 
worshipping without parochial organization, 
and with such accommodations as their lim- 
ited means would secure until the year 1818, 
when St. Philips' Church was organized in 
accordance with the doctrine and discipline 
of the Protestant Episcopal Church, Mr. Louis 
Francis and Mr. Thomas Zabriskie being 
elected wardens.* 

In this year, throughout the entire State of 
New York, now forming five great dioceses, 



*In 1816 there appear to have been a large number of col- 
ored people at Flatbush, Long Island. The Commercial Ad- 
vertiser of July 7, 1 816, tells us that at that time a number of 
gentlemen and ladies used to go over every Sunday to teach a 
school consisting of two hundred persons, whose ages ranged 
from four years up to seventy. 
2 



i8 



ST. PHILIPS' church. 



there were only about forty parishes. In the 
city there were nine parishes and two chapels, 
St. Paul's and St. John's. Two parishes, St. 
Michael's and St. James', were situated far up 
the island, in what were then secluded rural 
districts. St. Philips' formed the tenth parish. 
Of the eight parishes and two chapels situated 
down town in 1818, only four now remain — 
Christ Church, St. Esprit, Grace Church, St. 
George's, and St. Stephen's having moved up. 
St. Philips' has accomplished more in the way 
of change than any other parish, though, as we 
shall see, the changes were all for the better, 
showing, not growing weakness, but increasing 
strength. 

The work of securing a suitable church was 
then pushed forward with commendable zeal. 
To enable the new society to carry out their 
plans, Mr. George Lorillard, tobacconist, of 
New York, came forward and offered a lease of 
a parcel of land on Collect Street for sixty 
years, at an annual rental of two hundred 
and fifty dollars, with the stipulation that at 
the expiration of that time the land should 
become the property of the church. In order 
to carry out this benevolent intention, Mr. 
Lorillard placed the property in the hands of 
certain trustees, with power to fill vacancies. 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



l 9 



The persons named were John Marander, 
Sr., Lewis Francis, Samuel Class, William 
Tate, Thomas Zabriskie, John Bees, Andrew 
Rankins, John Kent, George Lawrence, and 
William Whitson. The "said lease and the 
estate thereby granted to themselves and their 
heirs with the intent and design that the same 
shall be used and employed from time to time 
and at all times hereafter, for the use and ben- 
efit of the Protestant Episcopal African Insti- 
tution in the said city, and with the intent that 
a church or place of worship of Almighty God, 
according to the rites and discipline of the 
Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of 
New York, and for the education in piety and 
useful learning of the children and descendants 
of the present members of said institution, and 
of such other persons as may hereafter be ad- 
mitted and become members thereof, shall be 
thereupon built, erected, maintained, and es- 
tablished forever." 

The land now being duly secured, the next 
step was the erection of the church. In this 
undertaking they also gained valuable and 
timely assistance from friends. According to 
the Christian Journal of August, 1818, the 
parish was assisted by a donation from Trinity 
Church. Mr. Jacob Sherred also left by his 



20 



ST. PHILIPS CHURCH. 



will two thousand five hundred dollars to aid in 
the parish. The journal above alluded to says : 

" The corner stone was laid on the 6th of 
August, 1818. It is a wooden edifice of sixty 
feet by fifty, and thirty-six feet from the 
ground to the eaves ; the basement being six 
feet above the ground, [is] calculated to afford 
accommodations for instruction. The church 
has galleries on both sides and in front, and 
contains altogether one hundred and forty-four 
pews. It has cost a little rising $8,000. The 
communion table, three small glass chandeliers, 
two folio and two smaller prayer books for the 
pulpit and desk, the greater part of the value 
of a folio Bible, and a carpet for the chancel, 
were presented by generous individuals. The 
late proprietors of Zion Church also contributed 
various articles, rescued from the conflagration 
of the former edifice of that name. The fe- 
males of the congregation have defrayed the 
principal expense of the hangings for the 
pulpit and desk, and are about procuring com- 
munion plate/' 

The church was situated on Collect Street, 
now called Centre, between Anthony and 
Leonard Streets. 

The work was conducted with much energy, 
and while progressing an accident occurred. 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



21 



The New York Columbian of December 7 
says : 

" On Saturday last eight plasterers, em- 
ployed in finishing the cornice of the church 
lately built in Collect Street, fell to the floor, 
by the scaffold giving away under them, and 
were severely hurt, though but one of them 
was dangerously injured. The height from 
which they were precipitated is twenty-eight 
feet." 

Bishop Hobart, ever a firm friend of the par- 
ish, consecrated the church July 3, 18 19, and 
in his report to the convention on the follow- 
ing October he said that the people contrib- 
uted largely according to their means, and 
that the trustees were unwearied in their exer- 
tions to obtain contributions from others. 
The Bishop says that the work was done 
principally by their own mechanics, which 
shows the industrial position occupied by 
them in that day, and he also observes that 
the building was finished with judgment and 
taste.* Subsequent to the consecration he 
says, " I have since officiated in that church 
to a congregation . . . who were remark- 

* Years afterwards Centre Street was widened, when it was 
found necessary to move the church back from the street, but 
the difficult task was safely accomplished. 



22 



ST. PHILIPS' CHURCH. 



ably orderly and devout in the performance of 
the service. " 

The New York Commercial Advertiser of 
July 6 also gives an account of the consecra- 
tion services, saying that the prayers were 
said by Dr. Milnor, of St. George's Church, 
and that the Bishop preached from the text, 
u I was glad when they said unto me, Let us 
go into the house of the Lord 99 (Ps. cxxii., i). 
The main thought in the discourse was that of 
the great importance of public worship.* 



*On the 3d of July last I consecrated the new church 
of St. Philips. ... To its erection they contributed 
largely in proportion to their means, and the trustees were 
unwearied in their exertions to obtain the contributions of 
others, and in their attention to the building while it was 
erecting, in which their own mechanics principally were 
employed, and which they have finished with judgment and 
taste.. I have since officiated in that church to a congrega- 
tion of colored people who were remarkably orderly and 
devout in the performance of the service. 

The New York Com?nercial Advertiser of July 6 also 
alludes to the event. It says that in this discourse he pointed 
out in a plain but energetic manner the necessity and impor- 
tance of attending public worship, and the manifold blessings 
that would certainly result to those who, with pure hearts and 
fervent zeal, approached the Most High in his holy temple. 
The whole business of the day was conducted with the great- 
est solemnity, and devoutly attended by the people of color, 
who are members of the congregation, as well as by a number of 
respectable white people, who also attended upon this occasion. 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



23 



This year the record of baptisms was com- 
menced. The first child baptized was Samuel 
Saltus, son of William and Else Thomas. The 
ceremony took place July 19, probably in the 
church. 

The record of marriages does not extend 
farther back than October 21, 1820. 

The next event to be noticed was the ordi- 
nation of Mr. Peter Williams to the diaconate, 
which took place in St. Philips' Church Octo- 
ber 20, 1820.* It is said that Mr. Williams 
had previously gone through a course of study 
under Bishop Hobart, though it would appear 
that the candidate was a friend of the Rev. Dr. 
Thomas Lyell, rector of Christ Church. The 
Bishop, in his annual address the year follow- 
ing, says that Mr. Williams is collecting a large 
congregation. 

The Commercial Advertiser has an extended 
account of the ceremonies, and says that in his 
preparation for the ministry Mr. Williams ex- 
hibited intense study and application, evincing 
his ability by his writings. Dr. Lyell preached 

*The Bishop, alluding to the event in his report to the con- 
vention, says that on the above mentioned day he " ordained 
Peter Williams, Jr., a man of color, Deacon in the African 
St. Philips' Church, where," he says, "he still officiates, and 
is collecting a large congregation, who exhibit much order and 
devotion in the exercises of devotion." 



24 



ST. PHILIPS' CHURCH. 



the sermon. This event seems to have made 
a decided impression upon the public. The 
services were so interesting that we may pro- 
duce the account, as we have it entire. The 
Commercial Advertiser said the following day : 

" Yesterday morning Mr. Peter Williams, 
junior, was admitted to the Holy Order of 
Deacons in St. Philips' Church by the Rt. 
Rev. Bishop Hobart. The new deacon is a 
person of color who, being possessed of good 
natural parts, has much improved his intel- 
lectual faculties by intense study and applica- 
tion, and has written several little tracts which 
abundantly show that 4 with God there is no 
respect of persons/ Mr. Williams is of unex- 
ceptionable morals, and as his zeal in the cause 
of our blessed Redeemer is well known, it is 
devoutly to be hoped that he be a useful 
minister in the Christian Church, and of great 
service in propagating the gospel among his 
African brethren. 

" Prayers were read by the Rev. Mr. Smith, 
and a very appropriate discourse delivered by 
the Rev. Mr. Lyell, from the following words 
(II. Thes., v. 12-13) : 

"'And we beseech you, brethren, to know 
them which labor among you, and are over 
you in the Lord, and admonish you ; 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



25 



"'And to esteem them very highly in love 
for their work's sake. And be at peace among 
yourselves.' 

" From these words the reverend divine 
pointed out the duties of a pastor to his con- 
gregation, and of his congregation towards 
him ; and also the necessity of members of 
the same society living in peace and harmony 
with each other. The sermon was in every 
respect adapted to the occasion. The church 
was crowded, and it gave us much pleasure to 
find that there were many of our most respect- 
able citizens present. The whole of the ser- 
vice was solemn, and it is hoped will leave an 
impression upon the minds of the audience 
which will not be speedily effaced." 

Mr. Williams entered upon his duties with 
zeal, and his letter accepting the office of offi- 
ciating minister breathes a truly apostolic 
spirit. Mr. Williams was not advanced to the 
priesthood until several years later. 

The work of the parish, however, was not 
destined to go on without interruption, and a 
severe trial was visited upon the people by the 
destruction of the church, which was consumed 
by fire on the night of December 18, 1821. 
During the evening, members of the congrega- 
tion had been busy in the church preparing 



26 



ST. PHILIPS* CHURCH. 



the Christmas decorations. About nine o'clock 
the fire was discovered, but all too late, as a 
defective flue communicated the flames to the 
woodwork, and in a short time the building was 
reduced to ashes. The Chief Engineer after- 
wards praised the firemen for their exertions, 
and the general opinion was that the neigh- 
borhood had an escape from a most serious 
conflagration. Bishop Hobart alluded to the 
fire in his next annual report, and spoke of 
the congregation as growing in numbers and 
in piety under the ministrations of the Rev. 
Peter Williams.* 

* The writer is at present unable to say where the con- 
gregation worshipped while the church was being rebuilt. 
The Spectator of December 21 says : 

*' About nine o'clock last evening, a fire broke out in the 
African Episcopal Church, which was entirely destroyed. 
There was a fire in the stove, as persons had been engaged 
in dressing the church with greens, preparatory to Christmas ; 
and it orignated from a crack in the chimney near the roof. The 
building, being of wood, was soon enveloped in flames. It was 
a very handsome edifice, having been erected but a few years 
since by the Episcopalians for the colored people of that de- 
nomination. The Chief Engineer remarked this morning, that 
he never saw the firemen behave with more coolness, nor exert 
themselves to better advantage. The church was situated in 
the midst of wooden buildings, and the flames ascending to an 
unusual height, great fears were entertained for the safety of the 
surrounding neighborhood. But happily the progress of the 
devouring element was arrested. The destruction of this 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



2 7 



This was a serious loss to the parish, but, 
fortunately, the church had been insured for 
the sum of $8,000. The Christian Journal for 
January, 1822, after speaking of the fire, and 
of the character and services of the minister in 
charge, who was occasionally assisted in his 
work by the city clergy, and who testified to 
the devout and orderly manner in which divine 
worship was conducted, goes on to mention the 
fact that an appeal had been made to the public 
to enable the parish to rebuild, their aim being 
to make the new edifice fireproof.* 

church is a serious loss to the colored people, but we trust it 
will be replaced by a more durable building. The building, 
we are told, was insured to the amount of $8,000. 

See account of fire in New York by Evening Post, Decem- 
ber 19. Taken from Advocate. Date not given. 

* Bishop Hobart, in referring to the fire, in his address in 
1822, says : 

" I have to notice the destruction, by fire, in the month of 
December, of the Church of St. Philips, New York, appro- 
priated to the people of color. This congregation was 
increasing in numbers, in piety, and in attachment to the sober 
and orderly worship of our Church, under the ministrations 
of Mr. Peter Williams, Jr., one of their own color. . . . 
Happily the building was insured ; and the insurance money, 
with some additional contributions, for which — the congregation 
being generally in low circumstances — they must trust to public 
beneficence, will enable them to erect a structure of brick in- 
stead of the one of wood, which was consumed. . . 
There is every prospect that the spiritual condition of the 



28 



ST. PHILIPS* CHURCH. 



So large a degree of success attended the 
effort that the new church was finished, and 
consecrated by Bishop Hobart, December 31, 
1822. The Bishop says that the church was 
built upon the old foundation, which may not 
have been exactly correct, since the new church 
is described by Hardie, in his Gazetteer for 1827, 
as 70 x 40, the dimensions being larger than 
those of the old church. Still the Christian Jour- 
nal for January, 1823, says that the new church 
is similar in size, the general plan and appear- 
ance of the interior being characterized " by sim- 
plicity, good taste, and economy." It is also 
stated that the church cost $2,000 in addition 
to the $8,000 of the insurance. Various ar- 
ticles for the equipment of the new edifice were 
contributed by Zion Church, having been saved 
when, in October, 1815, the house of worship 
belonging to that parish was destroyed by fire. 
Bishop Hobart says: 

u On Tuesday, DecemSer 31, I consecrated 
to the service of Almighty God St. Philips' 
Church, in this city, belonging to a parish 
composed of colored persons. . . . The 

people of color belonging to our communion in the city of 
New York will be essentially improved by this arrangement 
of their forming a distinct congregation, under the judicious, 
zealous, and prudent ministrations of their present pastor." 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



2 9 



present church is erected on the same founda- 
tion, and is a very neat brick building. The 
prudence of the vestry in insuring the old 
church has enabled them thu§ speedily to repair 
the loss." 

Hardie, in his Gazetteer of New York for 
1827, speaks of the church as a "neat brick 
building, 70 x 40, containing 3,000 square 
feet." The Christian Journal for January, 
1823, also says that this new church is "sim- 
ilar in size, and in the general plan and appear- 
ance of the interior, which are characterized by 
simplicity, good taste, and economy." It also 
tells us that the church cost $2,000 in addition 
to the insurance money, which was $8,000. 

With the restoration of the house of God 
there came a renewed zeal in all departments 
of church work. Somewhat later the people 
secured an organ at a cost of one thousand 
dollars. Subsequently, on May 7, 1826, one 
hundred and fifteen persons were presented to 
Bishop Hobart for confirmation, as the Bishop 
says, by their " excellent pastor." 

Finally, on July 10, 1826, Mr. Williams was 
advanced to the priesthood in the church 
where, as a deacon, he had labored so long and 
faithfully to purchase the good degree. The 
occasion was one of deep interest to the people, 



30 



ST. PHILIPS' church. 



and, in the absence of the parish records, we 
turn to the Christian Journal of August, 1826, 
which states that morning prayer was read 
by the Rev. Dr. Onderdonk, one of the minis- 
ters of Trinity Church, assisted by the Rev. 
Levi S. Ives, of Philadelphia, the sermon be- 
ing preached by the Rev. Cornelius R. Duffie, 
rector of St. Thomas' Church, New York. 
The candidate was presented by his old and 
faithful friend, who delivered the sermon on 
his admission to the Diaconate, the Rev. Dr. 
Lyell, of Christ Church.* 

Upon the elevation of Mr. Williams to the 
priesthood, the work went on with increased 
efficiency, though without any marked event 
that found a record in the history of the period. 
Large classes were, from time to time, presented 
for confirmation. May 24, 1829, forty-eight 

* For the account of this event we are obliged to go to the 
pages of the Christian Journal, It reports that " on Monday, 
July 10, 1826, at St. Philips' Church, in this city, the Right Rev. 
Bishop admitted the Rev. Peter Williams, deacon, a colored 
man, minister of raid church, to the Holy Order of Priests. 
Morning prayer was read by the Rev. Benjamin T. Onder- 
donk, an assistant minister of Trinity Church, New York, 
assisted by the Rev. Levi S. Ives, rector of Trinity Church, 
Southwark, Philadelphia ; the sermon preached by the Rev. 
Cornelius R. Duffie, rector of St. Thomas' Church, New 
York ; and the candidate presented by the Rev. Thomas 
Lyell, D.D., rector of Christ Church, New York." 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



31 



candidates were confirmed by Bishop Hobart, 
and March II, 1832, Bishop Onderdonk be- 
ing at the head of the diocese, seventy were 
confirmed. 

As the year 1840 drew near, the Rev. Peter 
Williams found his health declining, and 
towards the close of that year, to the inexpressi- 
ble grief of the congregation, he passed away. 
How short is life ! In a few sentences we pass 
from the record of the ordination of the priest 
to the opening of his grave. On Sunday even- 
ing, October 18, Mr. Williams retired to his 
rest as usual, at his residence, 68 Crosby Street, 
but before the daylight appeared his spirit had 
fled. Bishop Onderdonk, who preached the 
funeral discourse in St. Philips' Church, said, 
before the morning he awoke, " not to the light 
of this world, but to the glorious splendor of 
paradise." 

Of the life, times, and character of the Rev. 
Peter Williams, it would be a grateful and ac- 
ceptable labor to speak, but in lieu of my own 
words I would quote from the cotemporary 
accounts, one of which says : 

" The Rev. Peter Williams, son of Peter 
Williams, tobacconist, 53 Liberty Street, was 
born in New York City." The Rev. Mr. 
Douglas, in his sermon, which is hereafter 



32 



ST. PHILIPS* CHURCH. 



quoted, says that " at the age of seventeen or 
eighteen years he became a communicant mem- 
ber of the Episcopal Church of which Dr. 
Lyell was pastor," though it is generally under- 
stood that he was more or less a protege of 
Bishop Hobart. In 1808 he delivered an oration 
on the African slave trade in which he strongly 
depicts its horrors. By some, his claim to the 
authorship of this oration was questioned, 
deeming it above his capacity; but Bishop 
Moore, who understood all the facts in the 
case, publicly testified to the contrary, and his 
affidavit, accompanied by others, was printed 
with the oration, which is well worth a 
perusal. 

The New York Journal of Commerce for 
October 20 contains the following: 

" Sudden Death. — The Rev. Peter Williams 
[colored], for many years pastor of the Colored 
Episcopal Church in Centre Street, in this city, 
died suddenly about three o'clock on Sunday 
morning. On hearing the alarm of fire about 
midnight, he got up and went to the window, 
being then as well as usual. In three hours 
afterwards he was a corpse. We learn that he 
had recently been troubled with asthma ; but 
are not informed that this was the cause of his 
death. 1. 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



33 



November 15, 1840, the Rev. William Doug- 
lass, rector of St. Thomas' Church, Philadelphia, 
preached a sermon to his people on " The 
Happy End of the Servants of God." At the 
close he alluded to the recent decease of the 
Rev. Peter Williams, and gave a just tribute to 
his character and worth. Among other things 
he says : 

" He manifested a deep coacern for the im- 
provement, not only of the people of his charge, 
but for his brethren generally. Hence he was 
fond of contributinghis influence and pecuniary 
means towards supporting the various organized 
instrumentalities that had a tendency to elevate 
and improve the condition and character of his 
oppressed people. . . . He was not con- 
spicuous in such matters. For no man, per- 
haps, was less given to display, or aimed less 
at popular applause than he. If he could hide 
himself from personal gaze he seemed best 
pleased. . . . 

" Did he see a promising youth who lacked 
nothing but the necessary advantages to enable 
him to reflect credit upon himself and people, 
in a moral and intellectual point of view, he 
was the man that would spare no pains to get 
such an one in a situation favorable to the 
development of his powers. He took delight 
3 



34 * ST. philips" church. 



in seeking out such cases. There is now a 
high school in the city of New York that owes 
its establishment to his untiring efforts. ,, 

After the decease of Mr. Williams, the Rev. 
Benjamin Evans, missionary at large, was en- 
gaged to officiate, being assisted for a short 
time by the Rev. Donald Frazer, and afterwards 
by the Rev. Alexander Frazer, also by the 
Rev. Ralph Hoyt, a man of fine poetic genius, 
who will be remembered in connection with 
American literature long after men of common 
minds who got the good things of life and 
overtopped him ecclesiastically have been for- 
gotten. I would lay a wreath upon the tomb 
of Ralph Hoyt, as well as upon the grave of 
Peter Williams. In the spirit of Robert Burns, 
who conned his verses as he followed the 
plough, Ralph Hoyt framed his stirring lines 
while he drove the oxen, hauling stone for the 
foundation of his little church on Palisade 
Heights. No more gifted man than the author 
of " The Chaunt of Life" ever ministered to 
this congregation, and the people of St. Philips' 
may well feel proud at the recollection of 
the fact that Ralph Hoyt once stood at the 
altar. 

In 1845 the subject of liberty was thrilling 
the people of America, and St. Philips' parish 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



35 



found that the time had come to assert her 
rights. Application was accordingly made for 
admission to the Diocesan Convention. In 
1846 the parish repeated the application, and 
entered fully upon a seven years' struggle for 
independence, though it would not be profit- 
able to dwell fully upon the details of that 
struggle now.* 

November 9, 1847, the Rev. Alexander 
Crummell was elected acting assistant minister, 
though he declined the post. The connection 
of the Rev. Mr. Hoyt with the parish having 
ceased, the Rev. S. V. Berry was elected an 



* Mr. James McCune Smith and Mr. Alexander Elston were 
elected delegates. The delegates presented their credentials 
in the proper form to the Convention, when, on motion of Mr. 
Henry Harrison, a Select Committee was appointed to consider 
the subject. A majority of the Committee reported in against 
the admission and the minority in favor. These reports were 
presented on the eve of adjournment, and no action was taken. 
The majority report took the ground that when the Rev. Mr. 
Williams was ordained it was understood that the church 
should have no representation in the Convention, and that the 
present application was a breach of faith ; the incorrectness of 
which positions was shown quite clearly at a subsequent date. 
The report was replied to in a paper presented to the Con- 
vention the following year, when delegates were again elected, 
yet without any decisive effect. The majority report against 
was signed by Mr. John C. Spencer and Mr. H. Harrison ; 
and the minority in favor, by the Rev. Evan M. Johnson. 



36 ST. PHILIPS' CHURCH. 



assistant for six months, but the term was ex- 
tended to August 14, 1849. The Rev. Mr. 
Frazer continued as officiating minister until 
May 5, 1848, when he departed this life in per- 
fect peace. 

The Rev. Thomas Clark followed Mr. Frazer, 
and officiated until August 26, 1849. During 
a portion of the summer of this year the church 
was closed for repairs, and the congregation, 
through the liberality of Mr. John D. Wolfe, 
had the free use of a room at 360 Broadway. 

August 14, 1850, the Rev. Dr. Morris was 
invited to serve for a time, but eventually was 
asked to officiate for five years. 

In the year 1853 St. Philips' Church was 
finally admitted to union with the Convention 
of this Diocese, gaining an overwhelming ma- 
jority of the votes. 

/In 1856 another important event took place. 
At that time the great changes in the distribu- 
tion of the population had left the church too 
far down town for the convenience of the great 
majority. It was, therefore, decided to dis- 
pose of the edifice in Centre Street, and pur- 
chase a better and more commodious building. 
One was finally obtained from the Methodists, 
in Mulberry Street, near Bleecker. This prop- 
erty cost the sum of $30,000, the greater portion 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



37 



of the purchase money being derived from the 
sale of the old church. 

The last service in the Centre Street Church 
excited many regrets, attached as the people 
were to the building in which the congregation 
had worshipped for thirty-five years. Tempo- 
rary accommodations were secured in the 
Stuyvesant Institute, on Broadway, opposite 
Bond Street, where services were carried on 
through the winter of 1856-7. 

The church in Mulberry Street was opened 
for divine services without any special cere- 
mony, Dr. Morris officiating, and events took 
the usual course until February 8, 1859, when 
the term for which he had been engaged 
expired. Thereupon Dr. Morris was invited 
to officiate for another five years, but, on 
December 13, he felt obliged to give up his 
labors. 

April 10, i860, the Rev. William Alston, 
then officiating in the parish as deacon, was 
invited to take charge of the parish for a period 
of three years ; the Bishop of the Diocese 
being requested, at the same time, to advance 
Mr. Alston to the priesthood. The proposi- 
tion was not accepted, and November 1, 1862, 
he terminated his connection with the parish. 
Prior to this, however, the rectorship was 



38 



ST. PHILIPS' church. 



offered to the Rev. James Theodore Holly, 
now the Bishop of Hayti, who felt obliged to 
decline. 

The Rev. Alexander Crummell was next in- 
vited to the rectorship ; this action taking 
place October 17, 1862, and on April 10, 1863, 
his final answer was sent from Monrovia, in 
Africa, making known his decision to remain 
and labor in Liberia. 

The wardens next engaged the Rev. Samuel 
D. Denison, D.D., and the Rev. N. S. Rich- 
ardson, D.D., the one being the Foreign Sec- 
retary of the Board of Missions, and the other 
Editor of the Church Quarterly Review, and 
notably connected with church literature. 
They were engaged to serve the church in turn 
for the time being. Accordingly they entered 
upon the duty, and all went on as usual until 
July, 1863, when the draft riots inaugurated 
the well-remembered reign of terror in New 
York City. The great rebellion was now in 
progress, and the call for troops resulted in 
the most terrible disturbance of the kind ever 
experienced in the United States. The feeling 
of the rioters was specially excited against the 
people of color, and, in the course of the 
struggle, their orphan asylum was sacked and 
destroyed, this act being one of the most 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



39 



cowardly on record. It was accordingly found 
prudent to suspend the services of St. Philips' 
Church for a time, and the last service of this 
period was held on July 12. The next day 
it was no longer safe for the parishioners to 
assemble or even to leave their houses, and 
it was not until September that the congrega- 
tion could conveniently appear in church for 
the worship of Almighty God, for the sacred 
edifice had been taken possession of by the 
military and used as barracks for the soldiery 
who were called out to suppress the rioters. 
St. Philips' Church, indeed, has a history, some 
passages being of a terrible interest, and which, 
if fully appreciated by the members of the con- 
gregation who belong distinctly to this present 
generation, might well excite in their bosoms 
that horror and alarm which filled the hearts 
of some of us who went through that dark 
and bloody New York episode of the war for 
the Union and Freedom. 

When the day of rioting had passed, and 
the city had regained something of its former 
tranquility, it was found that the interior of 
St. Philips' Church was well nigh a wreck, and 
that it could not be used until thoroughly 
restored. Much time and money were spent in 
rendering it fit for divine service, yet it was 



40 



ST. philips' church. 



finally accomplished, at a cost of $2,468.47. 
After much delay the Government at Wash- 
ington paid $333.33 as a rental, while the city 
of New York granted $1,100 as damages, 
leaving a loss to the parish in money of more 
than $1,000. 

In 1863 Mr. John Jay, who had so courage- 
ously advocated the cause of St. Philips' in the 
Diocesan Convention, and who had served as 
a delegate to that body, wrote, as the autumn 
came on, declining to serve again, in the follow- 
ing words : " I pray you, return my cordial 
thanks to the vestry for their kind thought- 
fulness in again doing me the honor. I never 
represented any parish with greater pride or 
more sincere pleasure than I felt last year in 
answering to the roll call of St. Philips', and in 
remembering the long battles that had been 
fought so many years to secure her representa- 
tion in Diocesan Councils." 

October 1, 1864, the terms of the Rev. Dr. 
Denison and Dr. Richardson had expired, 
but after three months, during which time the 
Rev. John Morgan officiated, Dr. Denison 
accepted the charge for a period of four years. 
Dr. Denison re-entered upon his duties April 
10, though continuing his connection with the 
Board of Missions as formerly. Impaired 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



41 



health, nevertheless, obliged him to resign the 
charge on June n, 1868, to the deep regret of 
the parish, whose members ever regarded him 
with the greatest respect and affection. The 
pulpit was, however, supplied until May 26 of 
the year following, when the Rev. B. F. De 
Costa, D.D., took charge of the services, the 
Rev. John Peterson, deacon, being soon after- 
wards elected as an assistant, charged with 
some portion of the Sunday service, but more 
especially with pastoral work, for which he 
was so eminently fitted, having been brought 
up in the parish from a child, and having been 
scholar, teacher, superintendent in the Sun- 
day-school, a member of the vestry, and dele- 
gate to Diocesan Convention. 

At this time St. Philips' was interested in a 
mission conducted in Clinton Arch, and finally 
adopted it as " The Mission of St. Philips' 
Church." 

During the month of August of this year, 
1868, the church was closed for repairs and for 
the decoration of the interior, which were 
accomplished, the church being re-opened Sep- 
tember 29, when the building presented a true 
ecclesiastical appearance. This improvement 
gave great satisfaction, being in keeping with 
the growing taste of the people. On this occa- 



42 



ST. PHILIPS' CHURCH. 



sion a new and beautiful font of Caen stone was 
presented to the parish by the Rev. John 
Peterson, as a testimony of his continued love 
for the old parish. The pulpit and lectern 
were also gifts of friends, to the speaker un- 
known. On Sunday evening, February 16, a 
special thanksgiving service was held, recog- 
nizing the fiftieth anniversary of the organiza- 
tion of the parish, when the present speaker 
delivered the sermon, being followed by the 
Rev. John Peterson, who gave his personal 
recollections of affairs in the parish from his 
boyhood. The closing address was made by 
the Rev. N. E. Cornwall, D.D., rector of St. 
Matthias* Church. The next rector called was 
the Rev. W. Alston, May 14, 1872, his accept- 
ance dating June 7. Mr. Alston was the second 
rector. He was early called away, dying May 
26, 1874. Mr. Alston's successor, the Rev. 
Joseph Attwell, was called February 9, 1875, 
accepting March 22 following, and being insti- 
tuted by Bishop Horatio Potter, October 17 
of the same year, the speaker being present at 
the ceremony, while the sermon was preached 
by the Rev. Thomas Gallaudet, D.D., rector 
of St. Ann's Church. 

The work of Mr. Attwell was soon cut 
short by his death, which took place October 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



43 



8, 1 88 1 ? being deeply lamented. The speaker 
was with him in the evening a few hours 
before his departure, and little dreamed that 
the man he saw before him endowed with so 
much physical strength, his firm military voice 
all unimpaired, would be no more when the 
morning light again broke into his chamber. 
At his memorial service the speaker provided 
a paper, containing an estimate of his life and 
worth, and he will not delay to dwell on his 
character now. 

The present rector, the Rev. Hutchins C. 
Bishop, was elected November io, 1885, and 
was inducted March 14, 1886, coming to this 
work, as nearly every one present knows, from 
Charleston, South Carolina. 

It was during his administration, therefore, 
that the parish left the church in Mulberry 
Street and came to this place. The same influ- 
ences that operated to render it advisable to 
leave Centre Street, conspired to make the 
last change advisable. The people were rap- 
idly moving away, leaving their former homes 
to be occupied either by the incoming foreign 
population, or be utilized for the purposes of 
business. Accordingly, on the evening of May 
30, 1886, the formal farewell service was said in 
St. Philips', Mulberry Street, it having been the 



44 



l 

ST. PHILIPS* CHURCH. 



privilege of the speaker to take part in the 
service, though the place was used for several 
Sundays afterwards, until the present building 
could be made ready. 

Of course, much regret was felt on leaving 
the church where the people had been accus- 
tomed to worship for so many years. There 
was one source of satisfaction, however, to be 
found in the fact that, unlike St. Philips' in 
Centre Street, the building in Mulberry 
Street was to remain for the services of 
the church, though with another people 
and another speech — the sweet-lapsing, me- 
lodious Italian tongue. The old chancel, the 
gift of the late Mr. Ten Eyck, an aged and 
liberal member of the parish, will remain and 
do its appointed work, and there will be con- 
tinued the sacrifice and oblation of the broken 
body of the Son of God. The former work- 
man has been removed, but God carries on his 
work. Besides, did we not owe a debt to 
Italy? One quaint old writer, after dilating 
upon what America owes to the Italian navi- 
gators, exclaims, " Unhappy Italy, that still 
hath beaten the bush for others to catch the 
bird, and hath inherited nothing in these west- 
ern worlds ! " This just reproach, which had 
stood on record for two and a half centuries, is 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



45 



now, in a sense, wiped out. New York has 
not yet built the monument of Verrazano, the 
Italian explorer, who, first of all Europeans, 
gave a description of the harbor of New York ; 
yet we have given the Italians a church 
wherein they may worship God in a purer 
liturgy than that of Rome, and where the sac- 
raments are ministered with a true Catholic 
font and altar. 

The opening service was held in this edifice 
June 21, 1886, though it was then under con- 
sideration to remodel the building as soon as 
might be ; and indeed the plans, I believe, 
have even now been only partly carried out, 
a new front with a tower being in contem- 
plation. 

To-day we are assembled for the first time 
in this building, as remodelled, to present our 
heartfelt thanks to Almighty God for his 
goodness, and to congratulate the rector, 
wardens, and vestry on the success that has 
thus far attended their efforts, acting on behalf 
of the congregation, to improve and beautify 
the house of God. After many changes, this 
congregation is once more at rest. This is the 
fourth church, and at least the sixth meeting- 
place, in which the congregation has wor- 
shipped since leaving its first home, in old 



4 6 



ST. PHILIPS' church. 



Trinity. These changes were simply inevit- 
able, owing to other changes going on around 
them, and which no parish can control. Now, 
however, there is the prospect of permanence, 
unless, indeed, at some future period, when 
this house becomes too small for the congrega- 
tion, a new and grander edifice shall rise upon 
these foundations. Yet, for the present, we 
may all be satisfied with the material prosper- 
ity, for St. Philips' to-day is greatly blessed. 
The parish now has the experience of age, with 
the freshness and buoyancy of youth. Three- 
score and ten have passed, and, as in the case 
of Ephraim, " gray hairs are here and there ; " 
but the parish knoweth them not. Still, un- 
like the case of Ephraim, there is no need of 
knowing them, for the spirit of God can make 
any parish always young, always fresh, hopeful, 
and vigorous, and like a giant prepared to run 
the race. 

There are many topics that it would be a 
pleasure to touch upon, but time will not 
permit. I cannot even speak of St. Philips' 
Home, of the acquisition of the cemetery at 
Cypress Hill, of the ordination of the late John 
Peterson and his entrance upon the diaconate. 
I cannot even call the roll of the clergy who 
have officiated from time to time, nor the roll 



THE OPENING SERMON. 47 



of wardens and vestrymen, nor mention the 
long line of men and women who in years past 
have been so useful in forwarding the interests 
of the parish. Still, I may venture to mention 
the gift, the beautiful altar, presented by two 
well-known parishioners, Dr. Peter Ray and 
Mrs. Cornelia Guigon, in memory of their 
father and mother. We should also remember 
the chapel fitted up, I believe, by Dr. Philip 
A. White, as a memorial of our late friend, 
Miss Elizabeth Thompson, whose own day 
ended so soon, and so pathetically, not long 
after the sun set upon that day which every 
woman looks forward to as the day of her 
greatest happiness. God rest her tired soul in 
his own sweet paradise ! 

In closing, allow me a word of counsel. Re- 
member, first of all, the source of your strength 
as a people. It is not of man, but of God. 
Our sufficiency is of God. Remember, that 
if we would have the help of God we must 
likewise help ourselves ; and not ourselves 
alone, but others. This means that, in order 
to prosper, a parish must look beyond itself ; 
that it must take an interest in the welfare of 
others ; that it must maintain a large, gener- 
ous, and beneficent spirit, and be filled with the 
spirit of missions, showing itself alive to all 



4 8 



ST. PHILIPS' church. 



those great issues which concern the welfare 
and the progress of humanity. Labor to en- 
large and broaden the honorable record that 
St. Philips' has exhibited in the past; for the 
speaker believes that St. Philips' has been 
behind no parish all these years in the faithful 
discharge of its obligations and contracts, in 
connection with which it has exhibited an en- 
lightened and generous spirit. 

Let me counsel you, likewise, to go on in 
faith, as in days gone by, for I believe that 
in all these years St. Philips' has never once 
lost faith. Many changes have taken place, 
but it would be impossible to point to any 
change in these years that was suggested by a 
sense of weakness. On the contrary, every 
change has been dictated by a sense of grow- 
ing strength. From the beginning, every 
change has been for the better and has exhib- 
ited a growing confidence. With this confi- 
dence there has ever been evinced a spirit of 
loyalty to the church, to her doctrines, wor- 
ship, and ecclesiastical order. In days when 
patience was demanded St. Philips' exhibited 
patience, marvellous patience, showing gentle- 
ness, humility, and brotherly kindness in the 
face of arrogance, pride, and injustice, — patient 
endurance eventually winning the prize. Let 



THE OPENING SERMON. 



49 



me exhort you to go on in the future as in the 
past, exhibiting all the olden faith and patience 
and the many virtues which adorn the indi- 
vidual and the parochial character. Be at 
peace among yourselves. Love one another 
as Christ also loved us. Silence the very first 
note of discord. Discourage the faintest ap- 
pearance of envy and rivalry. Above all, 
remember the claims that your young rector 
has upon your support. In doing this, how- 
ever, I could hardly do better than to remind 
you of the words of Dr. Lyell, addressed to 
the congregation at the ordination of the Rev. 
Peter Williams, and exhorting the people to 
be heedful to those set over them in the Lord, 
and to esteem them very highly for the work's 
sake. Give your rector in his toilsome work 
the benefit of your confidence, your material 
support, and your earnest prayers. Strengthen 
his heart by every possible token of sympathy 
and good will. Hold up his hands. Co-ope- 
rate with him in the plans fixed upon from 
time to time for spiritual and parochial ad- 
vancement. Support your rector with the 
heartiest good will. Seek by all the means in 
your power to make this parish a blessing to 
all around you, and show itself in every depart- 
ment a genuine living force. Make it, not one 
4 



5o 



ST. PHILIPS* CHURCH. 



of the churches of a dead past, but a parish of 
the nineteenth century, and ready to hail the 
next incoming hundred years, and to carry on 
its operations in that remarkable era to which 
we are hastening, in the spirit of the new times, 
doing all you do in the name of Christ to the 
glory of God. 

New York, February 16, 1889. 



APPENDIX. 



THE CHURCH PROPERTY. 

I. St. Philips' Church. 

The first to be mentioned is the church and 
land, 200 Mulberry Street, purchased in 1857, 
of St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Society, for 
the sum of $30,000. The funds for this pur- 
pose were raised in part by the sale of the old 
church and land in Centre Street. The property 
now has an incumbrance upon it of only 
$10,000. The property is probably worth at 
the present time not less than $50,000. 

Note. — Since the above was written the church property 
in Mulberry Street has been sold for the sum of $45,000, and 
the amount in excess of the mortgage, which had been re- 
duced from $10,000 to $S,ooo, was used in purchasing the 
land and building, at present occupied by St. Philips' Church, 
in West Twenty-fifth Street, at a cost of $48,000. 

II. Lots of Land Corner of Sixth 
Avenue and Thirtieth Street, 

These were originally purchased for a burial- 
ground, by Trinity Church, They are now 

51 



52 



ST. PHILIPS* CHURCH. 



worth $30,000, and are leased for twenty years 
from 1868 on an annual rental of $1,250. 

Note. — At the expiration of these leases, and upon a new 
appraisement, these lots, nine in number, were valued at about 
$100,000, and to protect what was considered to be the best 
interests of the church, long and expensive litigation was 
entered into, the net result of which has been largely in the 
church's favor ; and, while not accomplishing all that had been 
hoped for, the authorities feel that they have been repaid for 
the outlay of money as well as for the anxious and untiring 
efforts of the special committee into whose special charge the 
matter had been placed. 

III. The Cemetery. 

In 1807 the Corporation of the City of New 
York and the Wardens and Vestry of Trinity 
Church each appropriated one lot of ground 
on Chrystie Street, near Stanton, to the col- 
ored people for a burial place. This land was 
vested in a Board of Trustees, with the under- 
standing that, in the event of the formation of 
a colored Episcopal Church, the lots in ques- 
tion should become the property of the church. 
This eventually took place ; but the growth of 
the city soon required abandonment of all burial- 
grounds in that part of the municipality. Be- 
sides this the cemetery in Chrystie Street was 
completely full. 

g<At this juncture, Trinity Church came for- 



APPENDIX. 



53 



ward and purchased lots on Sixth Avenue and 
Thirtieth Street, at a cost of ten thousand dol- 
lars, which were made over to St. Philips' 
Church, by Trinity, who retained a mortgage 
without interest. 

Only two bodies were deposited here before 
the authorities prohibited further interments. 
Next a lot of ground was bought on 105th 
Street, when a law was then passed prohibiting 
all burials (except intramural) on Manhattan 
Island. 

This lot of land, which was sold to Mount 
St. Vincent Corporation, is now included in 
Central Park. It was purchased with the in- 
surance money of a building which stood on 
the land at Thirtieth Street, and which was 
destroyed by fire. 

The Parish then obtained liberty from the 
city authorities to sell the land on Chrystie 
Street, which was accordingly disposed of and 
a cemetery purchased w r ith the proceeds at 
Cypress Hills, Long Island, whither the re- 
mains of the dead were all removed. 

It would not be just to conclude this sketch 
without some allusion to the patrons and bene- 
factors of St. Philips' Church. 

Prominent among these stand the Corpora- 
tion of Trinity Church. In 1835 that corpora- 



54 



ST. PHILIPS* CHURCH. 



tion granted the sum of $9,000 ; in 1838 the ad- 
ditional sum of $2,000. It also paid the ground 
rent of the church in Collect Street, from 1826 
to 1843, a t the rate of $330 per annum, amount- 
ing to $5,610. In 1843 {t allowed $300 for the 
support of the parish ; from 1843 to 1846 it 
granted $400 per annum. 

Among others may also be again men- 
tioned Mr. Lorillard and Jacob Sherred. A 
large number of persons have also shown their 
interest from time to time in a smaller but still 
substantial way. 

In 1820 the time was approaching when the 
parish should have a minister selected from 
one of their own people. This important fact 
was therefore formally announced to the con- 
gregation in the following address, which has 
no signature, but which was evidently read 
before the congregation : 

Friends and Brethren: We have lived 
to see the day and witness the state of things, 
in relation to this church, on which our hopes 
and wishes and labors have been for years past 
suspended — I mean the regular organization of 
an Episcopal society of people of color, with a 
person of our own choice and preference regu- 
larly ordained to officiate among us in the 



APPENDIX. 



55 



temple reared and dedicated to the glory of 
God. We congratulate you on these events 
as events which must, if we be not wanting to 
ourselves and to our children, infallibly secure 
to us and them the enjoyment and blessings of 
greater privileges and benefits than any, or all 
that we have heretofore experienced. Relig- 
ion, the only solace and comfort of mature 
age and the sole qualification for happiness 
in another world, and learning, which of all 
things tends to rouse and exalt the character 
of our species, will henceforward be attended 
to among the rising generation of our color in a 
way and to an intent which augur the happiest 
results, The Parson with whom the great 
head of the Church has favored us, we are 
happy to learn from the reverend, the clergy of 
the city, who are most intimately acquainted 
with him, — and he is known and beloved by 
them all, — is eminently qualified to realize all 
our hopes, and, under God, to advance our 
best interest for time and for eternity. His 
endeavors, we are sure, will not be wanting. 
He has devoted, to use his own words, in an 
official communication lately made to us, his 
body, soul, and spirit to our spiritual and tem- 
poral benefit and advantage. It is for these 
important ends that, at our request, he has 



56 



ST. PHILIPS' church. 



consented to abandon all secular and worldly 
pursuits, and promise, as he did at his ordina- 
tion, to draw all his studies to the sacred work 
of the ministry. It hence devolves on us, as a 
duty which we are bound in honor and in con- 
science to discharge, to take care that, while 
he ministers to us in spiritual, we should min- 
ister to him and his family in temporal things. 
We have pledged ourselves to do this, and the 
church and community of this city and of the 
world, as far as we are known, wants to see the 
redemption of that pledge. We can, if united and 
impressed^with the dignity of the privileges we 
enjoy, most assuredly redeem it, and without 
any material inconvenience to any member of 
the congregation ; for where is the member of 
this congregation who cannot contribute for 
the support of the establishment with which 
we are blessed the small pittance of sixpence a 
week? Brethren, there is, it is believed, none 
which cannot and who, it is hoped, will not do 
this much. And if we are all united in doing 
this much, we shall proceed on our course — in 
the enjoyment of our long anticipated privi- 
leges — with cheerfulness and joy. But we do 
not think that it is necessary to enlarge on 
this subject. We hope none will be backward 
to do what they can, and in doing that, the Ves- 



APPENDIX. 



57 



try of this church will find to their own satis- 
faction and to the satisfaction of the religious 
community, who anxiously wait the issue of 
the experiment, that we have not been dis- 
appointed. 



